User blog:BeastMan14/Beast Fixes The DCEU!
Following the relative failure of Justice League, I think it's time for me to step in and pitch my own, much better DCEU. So, let's dive in. =Phases= Phase 1 Wonder Woman = Directed by: Patty Jenkins Just do the original film until the ending, with a more grounded Ares tryingto convince Diana that humanity can only let her down, with Steve's death being the final piece of evidence. Diana kills him, but not before resolving to find new heroes to try and prove Ares wrong. In a post-credits scene, a modern-day Diana, while working at the museum, is seen taking notes on various news reports. When she gets up and leaves, we see her notebook has things like "Gotham City Bat" and "The Aquaman" written on it. |-| The Batman = Directed by: Matt Reeves Based off of "Hush" by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee The film opens as Batman (Jon Hamm) chases Catwoman (Eva Green) over Gotham's rooftops. As he's grappeling to grab her, a batarang suddenly cuts the rope, sending him plummeting to the streets below. He manages to grab a gargoyle, breaking his fall, but it shatters under his weight and sends him crashing onto a dumpster. Before he falls, he sees a mysterious figure watching him from a distance. Knocked out cold and badly injured, he is saved from a group of vengeful criminals by the intervention of Dick Grayson (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), better known as Nightwing, who was informed by Oracle (Ellen Page) of what happened. ("Jeez, Bruce, I leave you alone for a few years, and a bunch of bums almost kill you.") Unbeknownst to either of them, Tim Drake (Logan Lerman), an orphaned street rat and Batman fanboy, witnesses these events and contacts his girlfriend, Stephanie Brown (Jena Malone). Excited by this, the duo manage to follow Dick as he takes Bruce back to Wayne Manor. Shocked to discover that Batman is Bruce Wayne, Tim and Steph leave, though they swear to come back and do some more exploring. Meanwhile, Catwoman returns to her apartment, confused as to why Batman seemingly stopped chasing her. She is attacked by the mysterious figure, who nearly kills her, but she manages to fight him off and escape, though she is forced to leave her things behind. Angered, Catwoman swears that she'll get payback. Back at the Batcave, Alfred (Jeremy Irons) and Dick are incapable of waking up Bruce and fear his injuries may be fatal. Suddenly, Bruce, barely conscious, manages to tap out the name "TOMMY" in morse code. Alfred realizes who he is referring to, and quickly calls Thomas Elliot (Jake Gyllenhaal), Bruce's childhood best friend, for help. Making it appear as though Bruce was injured in a car crash, Dick and Alfred are relieved to learn that Elliot easily saved Bruce, though he urges them to prevent him from putting too much strain on himself. Immediately ignoring all advice, Bruce begins attempting to determine who the mysterious figure is. He meets with Catwoman, who apologizes for putting him in a situation where he could be hurt and offers to assist him. Reluctant, he accepts. Pleased, she informs her that a contact on the street said that they could find out more about the figure from Penguin. As the duo meets with the Penguin, Tim and Steph are excited when they hear the news report of Bruce's "crash", knowing it means that he really is Batman. They agree to listen for anymore Batman-related news, in an attempt to try and meet him. Back at the Iceberg Lounge, Batman confronts the Penguin (Josh Gad) and demands information on the figure. Going by their descriptions, Cobblepot is able to confirm that the new figure is called "Hush", a new player in Gotham's criminal underworld. He explains that from what little he's actually heard about Hush, he apparently has a history with Batman, piquing Batman's interest. Having got what information they can, the duo leaves. Before they can go elsewhere, Alfred calls and informs Bruce that Tommy has invited him to dinner, so they can catch up. Reluctant, Bruce accepts. At the dinner, Bruce and Tommy have a relaxed conversation about their lives until Bruce accidentally mentions Tommy's father, who was killed in a car accident when Tommy was young. Tommy's mother survived the crash thanks to the efforts of Thomas Wayne. Tommy suddenly becomes cold and withdrawn, and immediately changes the subject to whether or not Bruce is seeing anyone. ("I've heard rumors about you and this Diana woman, Bruce.") Suddenly, the restaurant is robbed by Harley Quinn, who steal everyone's possessions, including Tommy's watch, which belonged to his father. Angered, he attempts to go after them, but Harley shoots him dead. Enraged, Bruce suits up in an emergency batsuit and corners her, savagely beating her within inches of her life while the Joker's atrocities flash through his head. He is stopped Gordon (JK Simmons), who trains a gun on him. ("If you kill her, you'll be no better than any criminal I've locked up.) Batman stops after both hearing the speech and seeing Tim and Steph arrive with looks of shock. He leaves her to be arrested, only to see Hush watching from a nearby rooftop. He gives chase, but his injuries prevent him from catching him. Before he leaves, Hush tells Batman, "It's not time for that yet, Bruce." Shocked, Batman returns to the Batcave and admits to Dick, Alfred, and Barb his belief that Hush is none other than Jason Todd, whose body was so horrifically mangled by the Joker it was unrecognizable, meaning it could have been anyone's. Before he can review the theory further, Bruce gets a report of the Riddler (Neil Patrick Harris) robbing Gotham City Bank. Alongside Dick, he arrives and effortlessly defuses Nygma's trap before nonchalantly knocking him out and leaving him for the police. As they leave, Tim and Steph arrive, amazed, and try to follow them. On the ride back, Dick admits that Bruce's theory has some weight to it, and he attempts to discredit it by taking Bruce to Jason's grave. ("When you had him in your arms, you had to know it was him. You had to feel it.") At Jason's grave, they're ambushed by Hush and Scarecrow (Hugh Dancy), who blasts them both with fear toxin and forces them to split up. Dick, going through numerous flashbacks to past traumas like the death of his parents and finding Barbara crippled, is overpowered by Scarecrow, who almost kills him, only for Tim and Steph to arrive and distract him, giving Nightwing just enough time to recover. To Tim's distress, Nightwing lightheartedly flirts with Steph before going to help Bruce, and the two briefly bicker about it. ("You like him.""Do not." "You're blushing!") Nightwing arrives just as Bruce manages to unmask Hush, revealing Jason's face underneath. Surprised that his theory is true, Bruce tries to talk down Jason, who slowly forces him to fall back, before Nightwing arrives and drives him off. When Bruce tells Nightwing that Hush was Jason, Dick says he didn't see Jason, but Bruce. ("To be honest, I thought about saving myself the trouble and knocking you both out.") He then tries to introduce Bruce to Tim and Steph, but he angrily demands they all leave. When Dick tries to drop off Tim at his house, he reveals that he doesn't have a home, and he's been homeless since the death of his parents. Sympathetic to him and having discovered Tim's skills as a detective and tracker enabling him to learn their secret identities, he takes him to the Batcave and introduces him to the rest of the group. Back at the cemetery, Catwoman arrives and attempts to console Batman, but he apathetically rebuffs her. Doing so causes him to notice that Jason's grave has been dug up and hastily recovered, and he begins digging, discovering that Jason's body is missing and replaced with a note demanding that Batman meet him at Crime Alley so "you can end where you began." Batman angrily demands that Catwoman leave him so he can deal with this threat on his own, though she quietly follows him. Bruce meets with Hush, who reveals himself to be Tommy, who faked his murder at the hands of Leto-Joker. As they fight, Tommy explains that he's always resented Bruce for having wealth and non-abusive, loving parents, while he had to deal with a hateful mother until he was in his thirties, so he organized a plan to break Bruce's spirit. When Bruce demands to know how Tommy learned his secret identity, Tommy refuses to answer. As they fight, an already tired Bruce takes a blow to one of his injuries and collapses. Before Tommy can finish him off, Catwoman arrives and shoots him and he collapses, seemingly dead. When Bruce asks why she stayed to him, she admits to enjoying spending time with him, but refuses to truly stop being a thief. She kisses him, then leaves. Saddened by the loss of his friend, Bruce returns to the Batcave to find Tim and Steph waiting for him. Before he can make them leave, Dick and Barbara urge him to give them a chance. ("Batman needs a Robin, Bruce." "And a Batgirl, for that matter.") Cautious, he takes them on as new sidekicks, but tells them it'll be a while before he truly trusts them to fight alongside them in the field. As the movie ends, Dick assures them that he'll grow on them. ("After all, he let me do my own thing, didn't he?") In a mid-credits scene, Batman confronts the Riddler in Arkham, and reveals that he's aware of Riddler's role in Hush's plot. Nygma smugly explains that he used his intellect to figure out the identity of Batman, before revealing it to Hush as a means of proving that if he really wanted to, he could easily kill Batman. He then threatens to reveal the identity of Batman to the other rouges, but Bruce points out that if Nygma ever reveals the identity to anyone, it no longer becomes a riddle, ruining it. As Nygma has a nervous breakdown at the revelation, Bruce leaves. In a post-credits scene, a mysterious figure in a red helmet breaks Hush, who's revealed to have faked his death (again), out of the coroner's office. As Hush leaves, he asks the figure, who speaks with a heavily encrypted voice, why he helped in the plan by disguising himself. The figure simply replies, "It's personal." |-| Man of Steel = Directed by: Stephen Spielberg Based off of Superman: American Alien by Max Landis and various artists NOTE: Same cast as the original Man of Steel, so not going to add actor credits. The film opens with Jonathan and Martha Kent hearing a thud on their roof, and they open the window to see their son, Clark, floating and screaming for help. Martha climbs out to try and grab him, but she ends up being dragged into the sky with him. As they panic, Martha urges Clark to relax, and he slowly descends before they both crash into the corn fields with no real injuries. Later, the town doctor treats them, but urges Jonathan to do something about Clark, as it's only a matter of time before someone finds out about him. Jonathan takes Clark to the barn and reveals the truth to him: he's an alien who crashed near the farm in a rocket ship with an S symbol on it. A tearful Clark asks why, and Jonathan does his best to answer. ("I'm not sure, but I know you're meant to do something great.") They hug, and Jonathan vows to help Clark figure out what he can do. In the morning, Martha awakens to find Clark standing on top of the truck as Jonathan slowly drives through the field, urging him to jump up. After a few failed tries, Clark remembers Martha's advice and takes a slow breathe before jumping off and soaring into the sky. He panics initially, but steadies himself and soars through the sky, cheering before he crashes into a silo. Back at home, he tells his parents about all the exciting things he'll do now that he can fly and how he'll become famous, but they stop him and assure him his purpose isn't to just be a superstar. When he asks what they think he's meant to do, we cut to the opening titles. Ten years later, a teenage Clark and Jonathan are in the truck, arguing about whether he can do sports or not, with Jonathan (to Clark's annoyance) saying that Clark isn't meant to score touchdowns. ("Then what am I meant to do, Dad? Because you haven't figured it out either.") Before they can continue, they find the local gas station has been robbed, with multiple people dead. Jonathan gives Clark a knowing look, and Clark uses his newfound powers of super-hearing and X-Ray vision to locate the robbers, who are holding a local family hostage. Jonathan wants to warn the police, but Clark leaves to handle them himself. Clark is sloppy in his approach, and is shot point-blank with a pistol, causing the bullet to ricochet into the head of one of the robbers. Horrified, Clark quickly disarms the remainders and ends up hurling one of them through a wall just as the police arrive. The family agree not to tell the cops, and Clark staggers out the backdoor. At the farm, Martha looks at Clark's injury while Jonathan scolds him for being reckless, but reluctantly admits he did the right thing and that maybe his purpose was to help others. Before he can say more, he's stricken with a heart attack and collapses, mumbling to Clark that there's nothing he could've done here and not to blame himself because "You can't save everyone.". The film cuts to his headstone as Martha and Clark stand over it, with Clark resolving to do something that'll let him help other people. The film cuts ahead a few years and Clark (now played by Henry Cavill) is an upstart reporter, fresh out of college, for the Daily Bugle. He and the more experienced Lois Lane are assigned to interview Lex Luthor (Bryan Cranston) and Bruce Wayne as they prepare an alliance between Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp, and the two experience initial friction over their worldviews and upbringings as they head to their interview. They meet Luthor, and he immediately leaves Lois with Bruce, as he finds Clark more interesting to talk to. As they ride the elevator to the top floor, Luthor talks philosophy, politics, and ambition with Clark, with Luthor arguing that humanity needs to find it's own way forward rather than wait for divine intervention. Clark argues otherwise, saying that maybe humans just need a little push. Amused by this thought, Luthor concedes the point, then tricks Clark into getting off on the kid's floor, trapping him. There, he finds an equally annoyed Tim Drake, and takes the opportunity to interview Tim about Bruce and his thoughts on the Batman, Gotham's vigilante. Tim dismisses him as a myth created by the police, but Clark's hearing notices a slight spike in his heartrate, suggesting a lie. He pushes the point further, but Tim is able to divert the conversation by pointing out to the newly arrived guards that Clark is trapped on this floor. Clark heads back to his apartment and listens to the interviews. As he types his story, he senses something mere seconds before Batman slams his head into the table, cracking it. Clark turns around and is immediately hit with a variety of weapons that have no effect before he responds by grabbing Batman by the ears and throwing him into a wall, tearing off the cowl and cape. Shocked to see Bruce Wayne, Clark can only respond with "How?" before Bruce hits him with a smoke bomb and escapes. Clark is annoyed at the attack, but relieved his computer wasn't damaged. He realizes Bruce left the cape, and realization dawns as he looks at it. Three months later, Clark, flying around in a homemade suit, is working as Metropolis's own superhero. Saving people and working by day while going out with Lois and her photographer Jimmy Olsen (Jesse Eisenberg) by night. Jimmy idolizes the so-called "Superman", while Lois is more skeptical of him, wondering why he does it with an S spraypainted on his chest. Clark plays coy, arguing that maybe he's just a good samaritan. As they talk, there's a clear attraction between the two but neither will admit it. One day, Clark witnesses a trail of destruction leading to the mall, and overhears police chatter about a giant purple monster. Working with a SWAT Team, Clark storms the mall and confronts the monster, calling itself "Parasite" as it absorbs all energy around it. It tears through the police, badly injuring one particular cop as he tries to rescue civilians, and knocks Clark outside. Noticing that the monster can only sustain so much energy before it needs to let it loose with attacks, Clark manages to force it into the power plant with his heat vision, overloading it and causing it to shrivel it. Weakened, it can only mumble, "Luthor." as Clark asks where it came from. Angered, Clark throws Parasite through the window of Luthor's office and confronts him with the intention of having him arrested, but Luthor points out there's little actual evidence connecting him to this and that he could easily claim "Superman" assaulted him. Beaten, Clark is forced to leave. At dinner that night, Clark shuts down Lois and Jimmy's argument with a rant about how Superman's quest is pointless. ("Bad men will just keep escaping and getting away with it, so why does he try?") Surprised, Lois admits that watching Superman put himself at risk inspired her, and she counters with a simple, "To help the little people." Enlightened, Clark leaves, saying he has to send a message to a friend. Luthor wakes up later that evening to find the Superman symbol spray-painted on the window with "I'm Watching" written under it. Enraged, Luthor immediately digs through his files to analyze the blood samples found on Parasite's claws and begins testing it for a weakness while Clark goes up and decides to update his suit to look more heroic. After days of maddening study, Luthor finds that the blood actually weakens in response to kryptonite, a rare mineral found in the Tunguska comet. An idea begins to form in Luthor's head, and he goes to visit the cop, John Corben, as he sits in the hospital, badly injured and deeply bitter about how Superman is getting all the media attention. Luthor, to a room of cameras and reporters, offers him a way to fix that, and Corben agrees. He goes under the knife and is infused with a massive amount of cybernetic parts and (unbeknownst to Corden) a kryptonite core and an AI backup chip. At the press conference, attended by both Clark and Lois, Luthor unveils Corden to the world, and has him demonstrate his capabilites before quietly hitting the AI switch under his podium. Corben, deemed "Project: Metallo", freaks out and begins attacking everyone except Luthor. Clark leaves and, just as Lois is about to attacked, returns as Superman in the classic red and blue outfit to block the punch. He immediately feels weakened, allowing Metallo to get the upper hand and savagely beat him as the world watches it. Corben exposes his kryptonite heart as the AI rants about how Corben was abandoned, giving Superman a chance to destroy it, but he instead manages to stand to his feet and give a heartfelt apology to Corben, urging to fight whatever Luthor has done to him. The human in Corben manages to overcome the AI and trigger a self-destruct, and a weakened Superman manages to lift him into the sky as Jonathan's last words echo through his head and throw him into the atmosphere before he detonates. Clark plummets to Earth, staggers up, and manages to change outfits before passing out. He wakes up to find Lois and Martha standing over him in a hospital bed, with Lois admitting she was worried about Clark. Martha gives them some alone time as Lois admits her feelings for him, then reveals that she knows Clark is Superman. Clark is surprised at first, but decides to trust her. He smiles and takes her hand as they watch a news conference with Luthor, who has managed to pin Metallo's meltdown on a disgruntled former technician hacking his programming. At the end of the conference, Luthor announces his candidacy for President of the United States, causing Clark's eyes to widen in shock as the film ends. In a post-credits scene, a metallic figure sleeps on a throne made of wires. A small alert pings causes him to open his eyes, and the words "Kryptonian activity detected on planet: Earth." cause it to smile. We pan in to see the iconic three dots on his forehead, as Braniac whispers, "Set course for Earth." |-| Aquaman = Directed by: James Wan The film opens with an injured Queen Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) staggering towards a lighthouse. She is found by Thomas Curry (Temuera Morrison), the lighthouse keeper, who gets her to safety. She explains that her ship was ambushed by pirates, with her as the only survivor. Thomas allows her to stay so she can recover, and we see the two fall in love over the course of a montage. At the end, it's revealed they conceived a child, with Atlann urging Thomas to take care of it, as it will likely never be accepted in Atlantean society. Thomas agrees and tearfully watches Atlanta leave, knowing she can never return. After the opening titles, we see a young Arthur Curry swimming by the lighthouse, and watching with amusement as the fish respond to his sonar calls beneath the water. When he surfaces, he finds Thomas waiting for him, and Thomas informs Arthur that he had been underwater almost thirty minutes. Arthur apologizes for worrying him and agrees to accompany him to the market, where they witness a drunk harassing a shopkeep. Thomas steps in and forces the man away, and when Arthur asks why he did it, he simply replies, "Gotta look out for the little guy, son." As they leave, Arthur feels he is being watched by a blonde hooded woman, but is unable to spot her again and Thomas nervously shushes him. The next time Arthur is swimming, he catches a glimpse of the woman watching him from behind a rock, but she swims away before he can try to talk to her. When Arthur questions Thomas on who the woman is, Thomas angrily tells him that it's not his business and that Arthur shouldn't worry about "make-believe". Noticing that he's upset his son, Thomas explains that Arthur's special, but he just can't explain fully yet. When Arthur asks when he can explain, Thomas just says, "When you're older." The film then cuts to Thomas's funeral and a saddened Arthur (Jason Momoa) watching them lower the casket into the ground. Arthur shrugs off any well-wishers as he heads to the bar, where he begins talking to a lobster about his problems. When the chef tries to take the lobster out of the case, Arthur stops him, causing the bar patrons to try and throw him out. He easily clears out his assailants, and is surprised when one man tries to stab him, only for the knife to bend against his skin. Thoroughly pissed off, Arthur takes a beer "on the house" and storms out. Arthur returns home to find the lighthouse ransacked and strange men searching for him. When they get closer, Arthur recognizes the men as not human, as they are scaly, sharp-teethed, and some have fins. He tries to fight them, but they have a distinct numbers and weapons advantage. When it appears they're going to kill him, Mera (Amber Heard) arrives and defeats the gillmen, with the survivors fleeing before she can question them. When an impressed Arthur attempts to flirt, she rebuffs him and explains he is needed in Atlantis. Arthur laughs in her face and goes back into the lighthouse to try and repair some of the damage. Mera follows him and explains that the King of Atlantis is dead with no clear heir, meaning that his brother Nereus will be able to install his son into power unless someone with true royal blood can be produced. Arthur thinks of the woman he saw as a child, and when she matches Mera's description of the Queen, Arthur becomes irritated, demanding to know why Atlanta abandoned him and his father. Mera urges Arthur to come with her so he can ask herself. He reluctantly agrees, and she apologizes before knocking him out. ("Your gills aren't fully developed, so I'm afraid I must apply them.") When Arthur awakens, he finds himself in a room filled with water. He panics, but feels the gills on his neck and relaxes before looking outside at Atlantis. It's breathtaking, like seeing Hogwarts or Pandora for the first time, and he's so amazed he doesn't hear the arrival of Doctor Nudis Vulko (Willem Dafoe), Atlantis's lead science officer. Vulko greets Arthur warmly, then takes him to the throne room, where an entire royal court is waiting. Arthur awkwardly says hello, but he's unsure of how to react to Atlanna. Before he can talk to her, he's treated with hostility by General Nereus (Dolph Lundgren) and his son Orm (Patrick Wilson), who clearly resent Arthur for blocking the path to the throne but concede when Arthur demonstrates communication with sealife, a power only the royal family has. Atlanna dismisses the entire court save Nereus, Orm, Vulko, and Mera, and greets Arthur warmly, though he rebuffs, angry at her for neglecting him and making his father hide the truth from him. ("Old man took it to his grave.") Arthur tries to pass on the throne, but Atlanna makes it clear he will be inheriting it soon. She says they will talk privately later, then has Mera and Vulko take him on a tour of Atlantis. Orm comes along, wanting to meet his cousin fully. As they tour, Arthur notices the disparity between rich and poor in Atlantis and is largely disgusted by Orm's apathy. ("It's simply the way it is, Arthur.") As they talk, it's clear Mera and Orm both saw the King and Queen as surrogate parents, as Mera was an orphan while Orm's mother was killed in a skirmish with the same surface-dwellers that attacked Atlanna, causing his father to become emotionally vacant and largely bitter. Their conversation is interrupted as a creature from the deep trenches outside of Atlantis attacks the shanty town, with Orm urging Arthur to let the clearly outmatched city guard handle it. Arthur refuses, remembering his father's mantra, and leads a charge alongside Mera and a reluctant Orm to defeat it as Vulko watches on, impressed. Using his abilities, Arthur manages to disorient and slay the creature, earning the admiration of the commoners. Seeing their excitement in finally having a champion, Arthur begins to the soften to the idea of leadership, pleasing Vulko and Mera and angering Orm. They head back to the castle for a feast, and Atlanna is pleased to hear that Arthur is earning the respect of his people. After the feast, Arthur and Atlanna talk privately on a balcony. He confronts her over her supposed abandonment, but she explains that she left because she knew that she was needed in Atlantis, and the scandal of a recent affair could cause great unrest. She admits to loving Thomas, but tells Arthur that you must always put your people before yourself. Her explanation satisfies Arthur, and he departs to speak with Vulko for more teaching. As he leaves, we see Nereus watching with envy. At Vulko's lab, Vulko teaches Arthur a short history of Atlantis before showing him the Trident and Armor of Poseidon, which Arthur will be given once he becomes king. Arthur excitedly puts the suit on and wields the trident just to see if it fits him, with Mera watching from the doorway. She offers to give him combat training, and he accepts. As they joust in the courtyard, Orm watches bitterly, with Nereus verbally admonishing him for just standing there and letting "a half-breed" steal his birthright. When Orm asks what he should do, Mereus explains that he has a plan for later. Mera mostly trounces Arthur, but he begins to get the hang of fighting and they bond a bit more. After dueling, they go their separate ways, but not before we get more of a sense of romantic tension between the two. Atlanna watches proudly from her window, only to be interrupted by Mereus with a group of palace guards. Quickly realizing that it's a coup, Atlanna criticizes Mereus for being unable to let go of his hatred of the surface dwellers, with Mereus responding by saying that they will be nothing but trouble unless dealt with. As they bicker, Atlanna tries to reach the alarm by her bedside, but Mereus runs her through before ordering his men to rally the others and eliminate all loyalists. Arthur is awoken by Vulko, who urges him to grab his equipment and follow him. They exit his room and see immediate chaos, as loyalist guards battle Mereus's men throughout the castle. Mera arrives and tearfully informs Arthur of his mother's death. Arthur wants vengeance, but Vulko tells him they need to rally an army to stop the coup first. Fleeing to a secret door in Vulko's lab, they are cornered by Orm and his men. Arthur tries to talk Orm down, but Orm attacks him and sics his guards on Mera. Mera manages to defeat them, but they critically injure Vulko while Orm easily defeats Arthur and stabs him with the trident. Bleeding out, Vulko manages to distract Orm by criticizing him for siding with his father, giving Arthur and Mera time to escape. ("Look at you. Atlanna practically raised you, but here you are working for the man that barely looks you in the eye.") Orm tries to get Vulko to understand his reasoning, but the old man bleeds out before he can, mocking him all the while. Enraged and upset by this, Orm doesn't pursue the duo. Arthur awakens in the home of a friendly doctor, who is grateful to Arthur for saving his family's life during the creature's attack. Mera reveals that Mereus has installed Orm as a puppet king and turned Atlantis into a harsh police state. Arthur says that something needs to be done, but he's still recovering from his injuries, forcing him to take it slow. While out in disguise with Mera to survey the city, Arthur witnesses two guards harassing a shopkeep, and despite Mera's pleas, steps in to help, taking out the guard and earning the gratitude of the people watching. As they return to the safehouse, Arthur realizes that if he rallies the people, there's a chance they can overthrow Mereus and Orm. Spreading the word as best they can, Arthur and Mera begin training the people of Atlantis into a fighting force, and they're willing to rally behind him as a champion. As they train, the group hatches a full plan. Mera will lead the attack on the palace, giving Arthur the chance to sneak in and confront Mereus himself, as she suspects the guards will surrender if Arthur can bring down their leader. When Arthur brings up Orm, Mera worries that he'll be a wild card, but Arthur should treat him as a hostile if it comes to it. The rebels attack in the middle of the night, successfully drawing the army onto them while Arthur uses Vulko's secret tunnel to avoid patrols. He exits to find Orm, alone and waiting for him. They duel, with Arthur ignoring Mera's advice and urging Orm to stand down as a favor to Atlanna's memory. Orm hesitates, but concedes, offering Arthur the trident. ("If anyone finds me, I'll just say you beat me, as unlikely as that would be.") Arthur thanks him, then heads to throne room to find Mereus sitting on it. ("Either you get off that or I'll throw you off of it.") After a tense back-and-forth, Mereus charges Arthur, overwhelming him. Mereus largely overpowers his less experienced foe, but Arthur manages to cut him on the shoulder as Mereus pushes him towards a window. Downed, Arthur begins whispering, distracting Mereus long enough for a shark to smell the blood and smash through the window to maul a foe at Arthur's command. ("Outrageous.") It badly injures Nereus before swimming away at Arthur's behest, and the general crawls for the throne. As he bleeds out, Nereus gives a final warning to Arthur. ("You may be one of them for now, but the surface dwellers will turn on you, boy. They always do.") Arthur ignores him, then kills him by running him through with the trident. ("Like you turned on my mother?") With Nereus defeated, Arthur sits on the throne just as Mera's forces burst in, having defeated the guards and captured Orm. Seeing Arthur on the throne, they all drop to their knees and declare him king. When the guards begin to take Orm to the cells, Arthur tries to stop them, but Orm reassures him that it's alright. ("I betrayed this kingdom, Arthur. I deserve this.") Arthur allows them to take him, then turns to Mera to ask what now. She simply rules, "You're king now. You decide." Arthur smiles, and the film ends with a shot of him sitting on the throne, with Mera by his side, in the Armor of Poseidon as the people cheer his kinghood. In a post-credits scene, we see Lex Luthor talking a shadowy figure about how he needs assistance with the so-called "Aquaman" who is leading attacks on his oil rigs in the Pacific. The figure steps out of the shadows, revealing himself to be Black Manta, and he agrees to assist, "for a price." |-| Nightwing = Directed by: Gareth Evans |-| The Flash = Directed by: Edgar Wright The film opens with the release of Digger Harkness (Jai Courtney) from prison, and he finds his friend Leonard Snart (Mahershala Ali) waiting for him. As they drive home, Snart informs him that he's got a new job planned out and they need to get the Rogues back together. Harkness is excited, but points out that he doesn't have his gear, as it's being stored in the Central City Museum of Criminal History, a museum dedicated to the city's strange experiences with superpowered criminals. Snart, brandishing his signature ice gun, tells him not to worry, and that he's got a plan. The film smash-cuts to Snart and Harkness robbing the museum and grabbing Harkness's boomerangs ("Aw, how I've missed ya, love.") As they leave, the police are largely powerless to stop them and the onlookers remark on how Central City lacks a hero like Superman or Batman. After the opening title, we see CSI Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) arrive, ten minutes late, to the crime scene. Barry is chewed out by the Captain of the police force, but he's given the space to work and analyze Snart's technology. When asked what he thinks of a motive, Barry suggests that Snart might be planning something, seeing as how only took equipment from the Rogues Gallery and not anything of real value. Taking a sample of the ice, Barry spends all night analyzing it at his lab, causing him to miss his date with his girlfriend Iris West (Kiersey Clemons). He tries to apologize over the phone, but Iris admits growing frustration with his inability to keep on time ("At some point, you're going to have start choosing what matters.") and suggests they take a break. Barry agrees, and goes back to the office as it starts to rain. Snart and Harkness meet Mick Rory aka Heatwave (Jon Bernthal), Snart's former partner, who is now working as a mechanic. Rory is reluctant at first, but agrees under the condition that Snart never betray him again. When Harkness asks for context, they both tell him, "It's a long story." and then arm up with their equipment to recruit their next member. They find Even McCulloch aka Mirror Master (Joseph Gilgun) and rescue him from a simple diamond store robbery gone wrong. He admits that he's not the best at planning, even with his mirror powers, and agrees to join the team. Back at Barry's lab, Barry returns home to find the skylight has been left open, soaking the lab. Annoyed, Barry goes to close it, only for a burst of lightning to strike and hurl him into the chemical shelf, knocking him out cold as the chemicals mix onto his clothes. When he wakes up, he feels as though the entire world is in slow-motion, and it takes him a second to realize he is, in fact, going much faster than everything else. Amazed, Barry analyzes his blood to see that his cells are moving at a much faster level than normal and concludes that the chemicals and lightning must have mixed to give him super-speed. The mention of super-speed gives Barry a brief flashback to his mother's murder at the hands of a yellow blur, but he pushes it aside and chooses to take a sick day to practice his powers. Finally, Snart's team finds Mark Mardon aka Weather Wizard (Alan Tudyk) still trapped in Iron Heights, but Mirror Master easily breaks him out by pulling him through the mirror in his cell and out into a nearby gas station. Grateful for his freedom, Mardon accompanies them back to Snart's hideout, where they find Trickster II (Aaron Paul), waiting for them. When they point out that he's not the real Trickster, he explains that his father, the original Trickster, was killed several years ago, and he's been waiting for a chance to make it big. He threatens to go the police if not allowed onto the crew, and Snart reluctantly allows him to join. With the team assembled, Snart finally explains the heist. During the major playoffs game between the Gotham City Rogues and the Central City Wildcats, Snart intends to break into the stadium and rob the place of all the money. We see a montage of what a successful heist would look like, with Weather Wizard knocking out the lights and cameras, Mirror Master sneaking into the vault, and Boomerang and Heatwave dealing with the guards while Snart mans the getaway cars. When the Trickster points out his lack of role, Snart shoehorns him in as the passenger in the car. Snart explains that they need to steal an armored truck for the job and he knows of a local warehouse where they're kept. Snart takes Rory and Trickster with him, while telling everyone else to get ready for the next couple of days. In a montage, we see Barry learn to understand his powers and get better at controlling them, though extreme speeds destroy his clothes. He resolves to build an actual suit and manages to come up with what he needs for a design. He quietly decides to break into STAR Labs and steal the armor plating he needs to avoid burning up, and effortlessly does so while leaving an IOU note for the staff to find. As he finishes the suit, his phone goes off, broadcasting a police alert of a possible break-in at a vehicle warehouse, with the suspects coded as "armed and incredibly dangerous". After a moment's hesitation, Barry decides to see if he can test his powers in an actual fight and leaves. Back at the warehouse, we see that Trickster has killed a guard, alerting the man's partner, and Snart freezes him just as he sends out an alert. Angered, Snart freezes Trickster and leaves him for the authorities as a patsy. Once they find a truck, they're corner by Barry, who unconvincingly demands they surrender. In spite of his skills, Barry is no match for Snart and Rory, who work together to bring him down by freezing his legs. As Rory revs up the truck, Snart stops to tell Barry to be smarter with his powers or stay out of his way, then leaves. After they escape, Barry manages to vibrate his legs to melt the ice, then unfreezes Trickster with the same tactic. Out of spite, Trickster informs him of the heist, but Barry knocks him out and runs away before he can say the actual day of the heist. Back at the hideout, the Rogues try to back out, arguing that Snart's plan is ruined now that a) an actual superhero is on their trail and b) the authorities will likely know the plan. Snart manages to intimidate them into staying on-board, but there's clear reluctance for the team. Meanwhile, Barry surprises the Captain by actually being on-time to a crime scene, but is now frustrated by Trickster, who refuses to talk and only gives hints to the actual police. Barry contemplates telling the Captain, but ultimately chooses not to for fear of putting the police at risk in an engagement. He calls Iris, asking her for a second chance, and she agrees to another date in a few days. We see a montage of both sides, with the Rogues practicing and mapping out the heist while Barry continues to improve with his powers. On the night of his date with Iris, everything goes smoothly, with Barry on-time and actually showing real interest in her work as a reporter. Unfortunately, that's when the heist begins, and Barry sees the lightning strike and overhears complaints that the power just got knocked out at the stadium. Barry sadly tells Iris he needs to go, and while she's angry at first, she lets him when she sees the distressed look on his face. The heist starts to go smoothly, as the guards can't see Mirror Master taking the money from the vault to the truck while Boomerang and Heatwave take out those on patrol, but things start to go awry when Barry takes out Weather Wizard on a nearby rooftop by sneaking up on him and punching him out. The power comes back and the guards send out an alert when they Mirror Master in the vault, forcing Heatwave and Boomerang to up their game to take them up. Despite Snart's command not to abort, Mirror Master refuses to grab any more money from the vault. Barry arrives at the stadium and defeats the duo by redirecting Harkness's boomerangs at Heat Wave, pinning him to the wall, then takes him down in a close-up fight. Rather than help them, Snart chooses to take off, icing Mirror Master when he tries to force him to go back. Barry catches the truck and removes it's wheels, and an enraged Snart jumps out to fight him. This time, Barry chooses to avoid Snart's blasts and hit from the side, first taking apart the gun, then headbutts him out with a final quip. ("Looks like I got smart.") The police try to stop him, but Barry runs off, only returning to bring the rest of the Rogues. When Iris arrives, one of the cops tells her that the guy was gone "in a flash.", giving her something to call this new hero by. The film ends with a news report talking about "The Flash" and his impact on Central City, which is quickly becoming the safest city in America. The report plays over a montage of Barry showing up to work on-time, going to Iris with flowers and her forgiving him, him running through the city, and Snart being led into his cell, where a pissed-off Rory is waiting for him. The final shot is a close-up of Barry's grin as he runs through traffic and towards the camera. In a mid-credits scene, a jailed Boomerang is approached by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), who has an offer for him. In a post-credits scene, we see a shadowy figure watching the report, then get up to look at a yellow suit that looks very similar to Barry's. The figure says, "It's almost time.", then the film ends. |-| Justice League = Directed by: Stephen Spielberg Phase 2 Man of Steel 2 = Directed by: Brad Bird |-| Wonder Woman 2 = Directed by: Patty Jenkins |-| Batman: The Long Night = Directed by: David Fincher |-| Green Lantern Corps = Directed by: JJ Abrams |-| Shazam = Directed by: Jon Watts |-| The Flash 2: Zoom = Directed by: Edgar Wright |-| New Gods = Directed by: George Miller |-| Justice League: Doomsday = Directed by: JJ Abrams Phase 3 Category:Blog posts